Oliver Jäkel

Prof. Dr. Oliver Jäkel is a leading academic and medical physicist serving as Full Professor for Medical Physics at the Medical Faculty Heidelberg of Heidelberg University, Head of the Division of Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), and Medical Physics Director of the Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center (HIT) at Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD). He holds an Scopus ID: 7003530041, ORCID: 0000-0002-6056-9747, and an h-index of 57, reflecting his significant scholarly impact.

His research interests are centered on medical physics in radiation oncology, particularly in particle therapy involving protons, carbon ions, and helium ions. Key areas include dosimetry, MR-guided and adaptive radiotherapy, treatment planning, in vivo monitoring using secondary fragment tracking, and AI applications in imaging and contouring. He has pioneered work in helium beam radiography, motion management, and Monte Carlo simulations for dose verification.

His recent publications (2024–2025) reveal a strong focus on deep learning for MRI-to-CT conversion, intrafractional motion tracking, and quality assurance in hybrid MRI-particle therapy systems. These works span journals such as Physics in Medicine and Biology, Medical Physics, and Cancers, demonstrating a consistent trend toward integrating advanced imaging, AI, and novel particle beams into clinical radiotherapy workflows.

Among his scientific honors are:

• Chair of ICRU Report 93 on Light Ion Beam Therapy reporting
• Spokesperson for HGF and DFG research groups in hadron therapy
• Accredited mentor for medical physics experts
• Member of IAEA and ICRU task groups
• Chair of DKFZ’s Commission for Good Scientific Practice

Prof. Jäkel has supervised one habilitation and 31 dissertations, indicating active academic mentorship. He leads international Master’s programs in medical physics and has organized summer schools in Chile and Thailand. He is involved in multiple advisory boards, including the DFG, FCT Portugal, and Ontario’s Univ. Health Network. His leadership extends to large-scale research initiatives such as the Heidelberg Institute for Radiation Oncology (HIRO) and the development of postgraduate curricula in medical physics.

He is actively involved in laboratory and clinical research at DKFZ and HIT, where his team develops and validates novel imaging and dosimetry systems for particle therapy, including Timepix-based detectors, FLUKA simulations, and MR-integrated workflows. Future research directions include expanding helium ion therapy, improving biological effectiveness models, and advancing AI-driven adaptive radiotherapy.